Screen door or window frame.



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SCREEN 000B ORWINDOW FRAME.

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-of the bottom rail.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAR-LES vC. VHEELER, OF HOLLAND, MICHIGAN.

SCREEN DOOR OR WINDOW FRAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,889, dated February 20, 1900. Application led January 18,1899; Serial No, 702,523. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Holland, in the county of Ottawa and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Screen-Door or Screen- VVindow Frames, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in screen-door and screen-window frames, with the purpose of providing a knockdown frame which may be readily cut to fit doors or windows of varying sizes, within reasonable limits, by unskilled as well as by skilled workmen.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of a door-frame in outside elevation. Fig. 2 is an outer edge View of the left stile. Fig. 3 is an outer edge view of the right stile. Fig. 4 is an outer edge view of the top rail. Fig. 5 is an outer edge view Fig. 6 is a view in outside elevation of a door or window frame of modified construction. Fig.' 7 is an outer edge View of the left stile of the same. Fig. 8 is an outer edge view of the right stile. Fig. 9 is an outer edge View of the topv rail, and Fig. 10 is an outer edge View of the bottom rail.

The particular embodiment of my invention represented in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, is a door-frame; but it is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable to a window-frame, the only difference being that the center rail' C might be omitted from the window-frame.

L represents the hinged stile of the doorframe, and R the free or swinging stile, both provided at bottom and middle with mortises For the purpose of shortening the frame these stiles L and vPt are provided at their upper ends with sawsaid inner edges when the frame is made up and in position, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired to shorten the frame to the points a a, for instance, the kerfs 7c 7c guide and direct a saw or other tool in cutting away the small portions o'f the stiles which were left uncut, after which those portions of the stiles between the kerfs 7.a 7c are easily removed, thus making what is known as a slip-Inortise, into which the tongues or tenonst twill drop to the said points a a, and the protruding ends of the stiles can then be cutvo to alinement with top of the shortened frame for finishing the door. The joints can be secured in the usual manner by glue, pins, or as desired. If it be desired to narrow the frame to the points b b, for instance, the kerfs lo la' 7a in the rails guide and direct the saw or other tool in cutting through the small portions of said rails which were left uncut, after which those portions of the rails between the kerfs and the outer surfaces of the rails are removed, thus easily continuing the tongues or tenons t t t inwardly to the points b b Z1 and permitting the stile L to be adjusted toward stile R and the frame narrowed up to the shoulders at b b b, after which the protruding ends of the tongues or tenons may be cut off to alinement with the outer edge of stile L for proper finish. It will be observed that while the greater part of the labor of making the slip-mortises and tenons is thus furnished already performed in the kerfs 7071 and 7c k 7c', (the kerfs also guiding the tool which does the small work remaining to be done,) yet the kerfs are at the same time so terminated at such distances from the opposite edges'of stiles and rails as to maintain solidity of structure, and also that a doorframe so made is fully as able to endure banging and slamming as is the usual mortise-andtenon structure, because the middle and bottom rails are inortised into the swinging stile precisely as in ordinary frames, and as to the top rail the blow of the door in closingis distributed along the entire length of the upper door-stop and top rail T, where my adjustment for shortening the height of the frame is located and because no strain special to this frame is ever put upon the hinge-stile where my adjustment for width is located.

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. 'i J y 4 In the form presented in Fig. 6 the frame is provided with grooves G in the outer edges of the stiles for the pupose of permitting the frame to slide upon metal guide pins or Waysas, for example, when used as a screen or window-frame, as described in my Letters Patent of the United States, No. 569,732, dated October 20, 1896--01 where it is desired that a door should slide instead of swing. In this form the joints are made by shoulder-ing or halving instead of by mortise and tenon, as in Fig. l. The stiles are here denoted by L and R and the rails by T and B. A single kerf 7a2 is provided in the top rail T, extending from its upper edge downwardly and nearly through the rail, but leaving the lower edge of the rail intact, and the stiles are each provided with a single kerf k3, extending from the outer edges inwardly and nearly through the stiles, but leaving the inner edges of the stiles in tact. The bottomrail is a counterpart of the top rail, with the kerf, however, opening downward. The center rail C when used may be a counterpart of the top rail, with its kerf and intact edges reversed. To shorten a frame of this structure, it is simply necessary to complete the kerfs 7c3 7e3 through to the inner edges 0f thestiles such a distance as the frame is to he shortened and then to out away the shoulders for that distance to permit the top rail T' to be adjusted toward its opposite rail B. In like manner when it is desired to narrow the frame it is simply necessary to complete the kerfs 7132762 through to the inner edges of the rails for a distance equal to the amount the frame is to be narrowed and then cut away the shoulders to that point to permit the stile L to be adjusted toward the stile R. When so adjusted, the protruding portions of the stiles or rails may be out off to bring the ends into alinement with the edges of the reduced frame fornishing the same. The corners are then fastened with screws, clout-nails, glue, or as desired.

It will be observed that in knockdown frames made as described members of one size are freelyinterchangeable withlike members of another size of frame, all mortises and tenons, all kerfs, and all shoulders in like parts being the same. By thus interchanging members a dealer need carry but a small stock and still be able to meet promptly the demand for any special or odd size, to make which one at a time by the old methods would be wasteful of both time and money.

lVhat I claim isl. Aknockdown dooror window frame comprising stiles and rails, one of the rails being provided with tongues or tenons at its ends and the stiles being provided, at their ends adjacent to the said rail, with kerfs extending from the outer edges of the stiles toward the inner edges of the said stiles but terminating a short distance from the inner edges, whereby the kerfs are hidden from view when the frame is in use, and the stiles are not materially weakened, substantially as set forth.

2. A knockdown door or window frame comprising stiles and rails, the rails being provided with tongues or tenons at theirends and with kerfs at one set of corresponding ends, which kerfs extend from the outer edges of the rails inwardly but not through the inner edges of the rails, and the stiles being provided with kerfs at one set of corresponding ends, extending from the outer edges ot' the stiles toward but not through their inner edges, whereby the kerfsin the stiles and rails are hidden from view when the frame is in use, and the strength of the frame is not materially reduced, substantially as set forth.

Aknockdowndoororwindowframecomprising stiles and rails, one ot the rails being provided with tongues or tenons at its ends and each of the said stiles being provided, at

4 its end in engagement With the said rail, with a pairofkerfs outa distance apart corresponding to the thickness of the tongue or tenon in the rail, the said kerfs extending from the outer edge of the stile toward but not through the inner edge thereof whereby the kerfs are hidden from view when the frame is in use and the strength of the frame is not materially reduced, substantially as set forth.

4. A knockdown door or window frame comprising stiles and rails, the rails being provided with tongues or tenons at their ends, each of the rails being provided, at its end in engagement with one of the stiles, with a pair of kerfs extending from its outer edge toward but not through its inner edge, the said kerfs leading from the base of the tongue or tenon, and each of the stiles, at one end of the frame, being provided with a pair of kerfs corresponding to the thickness of the tongue or tenon, the said kerfs extending from its outer edge toward but not through its inner edge, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of January, 1899.

CHARLES C. XVIIEELER.

Vitnesses:

WM. GAYLORD, J. N. WHEELER.

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